Unfortunately, though, director Xavier Manrique and writer Nicholas Schutt (“Blood & Oil”) play it so solemnly straight for their feature debut that it seems unlikely they’re aiming for satire.Shiloh Fernandez (“Evil Dead”) is Fenton Dillane, a twentysomething author whose single short story in The New Yorker made such a massive impact on the world that, as he complains, he was “forced into exile.”[...] after hiding out for a year in San Francisco, he decides it’s safe to return to his old life in Manhattan.Fenton’s collegiate sister (Addison Timlin, “That Awkward Moment”) has started an affair with her mother’s pot dealer (Josh Peck, a long way from “Drake & Josh”).In 2005, Noah Baumbach had the good sense to set his version of this story — “The Squid and the Whale” — in the past, when a New Yorker byline really might change someone’s life, and great writers could expect to get away with being obscenely selfish just because they were talented.Baumbach also had originality, a fully-committed cast and painfully sharp insight on his side.Manrique’s concept, though, rings hollow from beginning to end.Vintage typewriters, carefully-placed Philip Roth novels, aggressively curated facial hair, and casually dropped references to “Matthew and Björk” aren’t enough to sustain an entire movie.[...] unfortunately, the performances are so stilted (only Peck stands out) that these thinly-drawn characters feel as false as the world they inhabit.The only problem is that the fictional universe he, and everyone else, evokes is a lot less New Yorker than it is “Gossip Girl.”

Houston—As Tropical Storm Harvey made landfall in Houston, Florida resident Leah Halbina messaged friends in the city asking how she could help. That was how she found out about Sketch City and the various civic tech projects the group and others were developing to aid rescue efforts, help people find shelter, and tend to other […]

Netflix and the CBC announced Thursday that they’ve renewed “Anne (With an E),” the nostalgic reimagining that debuted on the streaming service in May, for a second season.Netflix also announced that the second season will have a writers’ room comprised completely of women.Walley-Beckett will be writing for the series, along with Jane Maggs (“Bellevue”), Shernold Edwards (“Sleepy Hollow”), Kathryn Borel (“American Dad”), Amanda Fahey (“Saving Hope”) and Naledi Jackson (“The Detail”).The rural setting of the books have also been part of its appeal, which the series’ Twitter showed off in a little tease of the renewal.“This exquisite series has drawn universal acclaim and introduced Anne Shirley to an entirely new generation, reaching an audience of 4.5 million in Canada,” said Sally Catto, general manager of programming at CBC.